phoenix – long time Golden State Warriors Head coach Steve Kerr admitted after his exit on Friday night that his time with the franchise could be over.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Kerr said. “I still love coaching, but I’ve got it. All these jobs have an expiration date. There’s a race and when the race ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas.”
follow the warriors 111-96 Defeat in play-in sons On Friday night, Kerr said he would take a week or two to consider his future before discussing with Controllers owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy whether he should return as head coach.
Kerr, on an expiring contract, intentionally did not seek an extension before this season and held off major talks about his future until after the elimination.
“If [my time is done]So I would be grateful for the most amazing opportunity for anyone to coach and coach this franchise in front of our fans. steph curry, [Draymond Green]The whole group,” Kerr said. “It can still go on. This can not happen. I don’t know at this point. But we all need to step away for a bit and then come together.”
Kerr finished his 12th season as head coach. The Warriors won the 2015 NBA title in Kerr’s first season and won three more titles in 2017, 2018, and 2022, becoming one of the most memorable dynasties in league history.
But the core has aged, and the Warriors have gone from a perennial contender to a fringe playoff team in recent seasons, winning 44, 46, 48 and 37 regular season games since their most recent championship, failing to advance beyond the second round.
This season fizzled out in January after Star Wing Jimmy Butler III Torn an ACL and Curry left the lineup for 27 consecutive games with a persistent right knee problem. They finished the season with a 37–45 record, a 10-seed, and an 8-seed losing to the Suns.
In the final seconds, Kerr pulled Curry and Green out of the game, circled them for a quick chat and hugged them both, saying: “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys so much. Thank you.”
Green, ending his 14th NBA season, said after the game that he would not retire. He has a $27.6 million player option for next season and despite being stuck in trade deadline talks, he reiterated that he wants to remain with the Warriors.
“Hopefully I’ve done enough to still be here,” Green said.
Curry has one season and $62.6 million remaining on his contract. He said he would “definitely” be interested in discussing details with the Warriors this summer. Curry is 38 years old but still an All-Star caliber player and said he envisions his career lasting “many” more seasons.
The biggest question in the near future is whether Kerr will still coach them. Kerr intentionally avoided conversations with Curry about his future during the season, but it would happen in the coming days. Curry reiterated that he wants Kerr to remain as coach but said he understands there are many factors involved.
“I want the coaches to be happy,” Curry said. “I want him to be excited about the job. I want him to believe he’s the right guy for the job. I want him to have the opportunity to enjoy what he does, no matter what it means to him. Everyone has their own plan. He knows how I feel about that.”
Kerr said his partnership with Curry will have an impact as he thinks about what’s next.
“It’s part of the equation,” Kerr said. “I don’t want to move away from Steph. I’m certainly not going to be going and coaching somewhere else in the NBA next year. I would never move away from Steph. But all of these things have to align and get right. All of those discussions will happen.”
